The Penn's Grove record., 1887-09-10

| Besides, he really admired Mrs, Somers,
and it enraged him to see her show this
marked preference for Brandon.
That morning both ladies had hoped
to secure him for an hours chat; it was
unfortunate that the hope of both
| should be fulfilled and yet baffied.
Minna wished to have him all to her
self; it was really most provoking that
~Clementina's wishes FLASHED with hers
"Are you going to Mrs. Eaton's this
afternoon2" asked the latter, in the
soft lisping tones her friends stigma
tized as ~''absurdly affected, " but which
many people thought charming.
"Yes-that is if you and Mrs. Des-
mond will be there" replied the gal
liant little man, promptly,
Mrs. Somers' blue eyes clouded.
This was not at all what she wanted.
Minna's face frightened; evidently
Brandon did not care much for dear
Clementina's society.
Eyes, l shall certainly CO." she said,
shedding her brightest smile ON Fltz.
81 thought, Clementina, you meant to
drive out to Richmond to call on old
Lady Merryweather," she added
sweetly, at the same time darting a
h~alf-deiant glance across at Clemen-
tina.
ssTo Richmondi' echoed the other.
arching her delicate eyebrows; "the
dust would be simply intolerable. and
old lady E~erryweather is my aversion.
Besides, / never like to miss II of
Mrs. Eaton's matinees. You know
how 1 dote on music"
what a fbl' thought Minna. II
don't believe she knows Rule Brit
annia' from the Dead March In Saul
But she made no audible remark, and
the three arranged to meet later at
Mrs. Eaton's.
Clementina had a charming little
house in Park street, and she prided
herself greatly on the artistic arrange
ment of her rooms. Her establishment
was small, but the servants were adj
mlrably drilled and kept up to the
mark by a young lady-a cousin-who
acted as a sort of satellite or humble
companion to the fair widow. Indeed,
much of the credit Mrs. Somers re-
ceived for perfect taste, both in per-
sonal and household adornment, should
have been placed to this young lady's
| account.
On returning from her matutinal
airing In the Row, Clementina was not
in the best of tempers, and Mary Grey
had rather a bad time of it. Everything
was wrong; the outlets at luncheon
were pronounced UNBEATABLE, the claret
corked, the flowers faded, and the lap
dogs condition anything but what it
should be.
Fortunately Mary had the command
of temper proper to a dependent and a
poor relative; she listened to all the
complaints in silence with eyes meekly
downcast, and afterwards went through
her stomary duty Of dressing her
~patroness, for Mrs. Somers kept no
mad; Mary was more sknlful and so
much cheaper than the ordinary ruD of
Abigails; without ersfreingea-sSrnJhid
of the wrath that was smoldering in her
bosom.
But when the lady had departed,
arrayed in full war paint and feathers.
as the %irreverent Miss Grey put it. the
humble companion performed a sort of
pas d'extase round the room, looked
at herself In the glass-she was very
pretty, for her gray eyes were very ex-
pressive. and her complexion was SIM
ply perfect-shook her fist at the lap
dog, sang a snatch of a popular French
| c~hansonette, and finally subsidized into
the most comfortable easy chair in the
room, and drew from her pocket a let
ter, which she read more than once.
"Ah, my dear Cousin Clementina,"
she said aloud, smiling maliciously, as
she carefully refolded the letter and
put it back into her pocket, "you are
very well in your way, tolerably good
looking, when en- grande tenue, but
not clever. There's a great deal more
on your head than In it. Why, you are
not even clever enough to-Here she
| paused, and a queer smile fiuttered
over her rosy lips.
"Well, WE'LL but I confess 1 should
like to balance the social scales more
justly,n she unused, thoughtfully, trac-
ing out the pattern of the carpet with
her pretty foot. Il do think it hard
that Mesdames Somers, Desmond &
Co. should have all the pleasure and |
all the trouble and worry. Why
shouldn't / have my amusements too?
OF course, 1 can always have the fun
of laughing at my dear Cousins weak
nesses behind her back, but 1 have to
do it 80 often that it pals. l really
must strike out something new. Let
me thinkp"
For some minutes the young lady
sank into a brown study, pickering
her white forehead into a thoughtful
frown and drawing quite a network of
designs on the carpet with the point of
her shoe. at last a brilliant idea darted
into her brain, and she started to her
feet with a cry.
sEurekal That will do. Nothing
could be better. All, what fun I'll
hayei My dear Clementina, l shall
be able to cry quits with you at last.
You have made me pass many bad
quarter of an hour, in return for which
I shall play you as pretty a trick as
ever woman's wit hatchedln And she
burst into a peal of such merry. silver
toned laughter that the lap dog reused
himself from his afternoon slesta and
barked a joyous response
During the next few days Miss Grey's
manner was as demure as ever while
in kthe presence Of her patroness.
but when evening came and Mrs.
Somers betoOk herself to a ball, re-
ception or theatre, as the case might
be, the young lady gave vent to her
native high spirits by mimicking her
cousin before the long mirror in Glenn
entina,s dressing room, waltzing with
the lap-dog, who loudly resented the
liberty. or singing sprightly ~cbasonettes
in her fresh, clear tones. Mary had
been educated IN a first rate Partisan
school, and bad contrived to imbIbe a
| good deal of French esprit along with
more solid accomplishments. But
oftener she fell to needlework with
praiseworthy ardor, and when thus
employed her spirits rose higher than
ever. She would often laugh aloud
from sheer inability to keep her mirth
to herself, as she pictured and repict-
tured in her busy mind what Ciemen-
tina would say and how Clementlna
would look when her humble compan-
IONS brilliant idea vas fully matured
and carried out.
The rivalry of the two widows did
not abate as the days went on. Fitz
was seldom to be seen without n or